Method and system for displaying a series of recordable events

ABSTRACT

A method and system for displaying identifiers for one or more series of recordable events is described. A system, such as the system of a digital video recorder, may receive a set of recordable events data, such as a listing of all television shows to be broadcast over a two-week period. The system analyzes the set of recordable events data for determining one or more sets of recordable events, where each set includes recordable events having the same title. The system analyzes each set of recordable events to determine sub-sets of recordable events based on relationships between the recordable events of each sub-set. The system displays an identifier for each sub-set of a given set of recordable events when the given set of recordable events is selected for display. A user may select to record a sub-set of recordable events by selecting the identifier that represents the sub-set.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a graphical user interface for arecordable event recorder and, more particularly, to a graphical userinterface that displays identifiers for a series of recordable events.

BACKGROUND

Many systems and devices include a user interface. A user interfaceprovides means of communication between a user and a system/device. Thecommunication between a user and a system/device may include inputtinginformation to the system/device and/or receiving information from thesystem/device.

The ability of a user to successfully use a user interface depends inpart on the skills and knowledge of the user and on the design of theuser interface. A first user interface having a design that isrelatively simple to use does not require as much skill and knowledge touse as compared to a second user interface having a more complex design.As the design of the second user interface becomes more complex, therelative amount of user skill and user knowledge required tosuccessfully use the second user interface increases. In some instances,the design of the user interface is so complex that the user becomesfrustrated when attempting to use the user interface, and in turn, theuser (i) does not use some of functions accessible by the userinterface, or (ii) returns the product with the complex user interfaceto the product manufacturer.

An example of a user interface having relatively simple design is aplain old telephone system (POTS) telephone. Using the user interface ofa POTS telephone may be as simple as (i) picking up a handset when thetelephone is ringing, (ii) listening to sounds output from a handsetspeaker, and (iii) talking into a handset microphone. Alternatively,using the user interface of a POTS telephone may involve (i) picking upthe handset, (ii) dialing a telephone number by pressing keys of akeypad in a particular sequence, (iii) listening to sounds output fromthe handset speaker, and (iv) talking into the handset microphone. Usingthe user interface of a POTS telephone is relatively easy to learn, easyto remember, and rarely results in a user not using the user interfacebecause of the complexity of the user interface.

An example of a user interface that is relatively more complex ascompared to a POTS telephone user interface is a user interface forinputting time information for changing the time displayed on a videocassette recorder (VCR). A user interface for inputting time informationmay require (i) entering a VCR programming mode and then pressing somecombination of keys, such as an hours key and a minutes key on a VCRkeypad, or (ii) entering a programming mode via a VCR remote control andthen pressing a series of keys on the remote control. Inputting timeinformation into some VCRs may be so complex that (i) the user mustrefer to a user's manual in order to determine how to input the timeinformation, or (ii) the user foregoes inputting time information. Inthe instance when the user foregoes inputting time information, the VCRmay continue display an incorrect time and/or continue to flash adefault time such as 12:00. By not inputting the time information, theuser may not be able to use certain VCR functions, such as a recordfunction that starts and ends the recording of a television show basedon a time as indicated by the VCR clock.

Another user interface that may be considered complex is the userinterface of a recordable event recorder, such as a digital videorecorder (DVR). In particular, a portion of a recordable event recorderuser interface that allows a user to select some or all of thetelevision shows having a given title that are to be broadcast over agiven time-period, may be relatively complex to use. FIG. 1 depicts aportion of a media planner that displays recommended television programsand that allows for recording any of the recommended television programby selecting the “R” tab associated with a given television program.Finding all television programs that are displayed on this media playerdisplay and that have a given title requires searching each column androw to find all such television programs. If the user overlooks one ormore of the television programs displayed on the media player displayhaving the given title, the media player will not schedule to record theoverlooked programs.

Thus, it would be desirable to have a recordable event recorder userinterface that allows a user to select some or all television showshaving a given name that are to be broadcast over a given time-period,that is (i) relatively simple to use, and (ii) prevents human errorduring a user-search of a large list of data of television shows.

SUMMARY

An architecture that supports a method and system for displayingidentifiers for one or more series of recordable events is describedherein. Examples of recordable events include television shows and radioshows. A series of recordable events may be defined in any of a varietyof manners, such as a series of recordable events defined by a title ofeach recordable event within the series. Other manners of defining aseries are described below. Identifiers for a series provide anindication of a relationship common to all recordable events within theseries. When the identifiers for one or more series of recordable eventsare displayed, such as on a graphical user interface, a user may selecta series of recordable events to be recorded by selecting one of thedisplayed identifiers that represents the series to be recorded.

In one respect, a system for displaying identifiers for one or moreseries of recordable events includes (i) a communication interface forreceiving a set of recordable events data, (ii) a processor that iscommunicatively coupled to the communication interface and whichexecutes a set of program instructions, (iii) data storage that iscommunicatively coupled to the processor and which stores the set ofrecordable events data and the program instructions, and (iv) a userinterface for displaying a respective identifier for each of the one ormore subsets of recordable events when the given set of recordableevents is selected for display. The program instructions of this systeminclude instructions for (i) analyzing the set of recordable events datafor determining one or more sets of recordable events, and (ii)analyzing each set of recordable events for determining a respectiverelationship among one or more subsets of recordable events of each setof recordable events. A set of recordable events are all of therecordable events having the same title and represented by data with theset of recordable events data.

In another respect, a method for displaying identifiers for one or moreseries of recordable events may be carried out by (i) analyzing a set ofrecordable events data for determining one or more sets of recordableevents, (ii) analyzing each set of recordable events for determining arespective relationship among one or more subsets of recordable events,and

(iii) displaying a respective identifier for each of the one or moresubsets of recordable events for a given set of recordable events whenthe given set of recordable events is selected for display.

In yet another respect, a method for displaying identifiers for one ormore series of recordable events may be carried out by (i) analyzing aset of recordable events data for determining one or more sets ofrecordable events, (ii) analyzing each set of recordable events fordetermining a first relationship among a first subset of each set ofrecordable events, and a second relationship among a second subset ofeach set of recordable events, and (iii) displaying a first identifierfor a first subset of a first set of recordable events, and a secondidentifier for a second subset of the first set of recordable events.The first subset defines a first series of recordable events and thesecond subset defined a second series of recordable events. A graphicaluser interface may be used to display the first and second identifiers.In this regard, the graphical user interface is a part of a recordableevents recorder and allows for selecting a series of recordable eventsto be recorded by selecting the identifier for the series via thegraphical user interface.

These and other aspects, advantages, and alternatives will become moreapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the followingdetailed description, with reference where appropriate to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein withreference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a prior art drawing from U.S. Patent Application PublicationUS 2004/0203639 that illustrates a portion of a media planner displayingrecommended television programs;

FIG. 2 is a Venn diagram that illustrates a set of recordable eventsdata, sets of recordable events, and subsets of recordable events;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of asystem for carrying out the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a main menu of a graphical interface unit(GUI);

FIG. 5 depicts an example of a GUI sub-menu that allows for selecting amethod for performing a show search;

FIG. 6 depicts a GUI keypad for performing a show search by entering ashow title;

FIG. 7 depicts a GUI that displays a show search screen using sevenmajor categories;

FIG. 8 depicts a GUI displaying a show search screen that uses sevenmajor categories, and a first of the seven major categories (UsefulSearches) selected and a sub-category (TV-Primetime Shows) selected,

FIG. 9 depicts a GUI displaying a show search result for TV-PrimetimeShows;

FIG. 10 depicts a GUI displaying the results of a show search;

FIG. 11 depicts a GUI displaying detailed results of a show search; and

FIG. 12 is a flow chart depicting functions that can be carried out inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

1. Overview

An exemplary embodiment of a method and system for displayingidentifiers for one or more series of recordable events is describedherein. One or more sets of recordable events may be identified from aset of recordable events data. Data for each of the one or more sets ofrecordable events may be analyzed for determining a respectiverelationship for one or more subsets (series) of recordable eventswithin each set of recordable events data. Thereafter, a respectiveidentifier for the one or more series of recordable events may bedisplayed on a graphical user interface, to in turn, allow a user toselect a series of recordable events for recordation of the series indata storage.

A series of recordable events may be defined in any of a variety ofmanners. For example, a series of recordable events may be defined byrecordable events having the same show title, such as the televisionshow title “Friends.” As another example, a series of recordable eventsmay be all shows to be broadcast on a given channel at a given time, butthat each have a different show title. In this regard, the series mayinvolve a series of shows to be shown on channel 6 from 9:00 pm to 11:00pm and that pertain to the creation of the Earth, where respectiverecordable events in the series have show titles such as (i) “Genesis:How it all began”, or (ii) “Fish with Legs: Life on Earth.” Otherexamples of how a series of recordable events may be defined are alsopossible.

FIG. 2 is a diagram that depicts a set of recordable events data 200.The set of recordable events data 200 includes data pertaining torecordable events to occur over a given period of time. For example, thegiven period of time may be 14 days. Other examples of the given periodof time are also possible.

The set of recordable events data 200 may include data for one or moretypes of recordable events. As an example, the set of recordable eventsdata 200 may include data for the type of recordable events known astelevision shows, such as the television show entitled Friends thatoriginally aired on the National Broadcasting Communication (NBC)network. As another example, the set of recordable events data 200 mayinclude data for the type of recordable events known as radio shows,such as the Howard Stern radio show that is broadcast by WXRK at 92.3MHz from New York, N.Y., and by many other radio stations. As yetanother example, the set of recordable events data 200 may include datafor the type of recordable events that are delivered via the Internet orvia another wired and/or wireless network. In this regard, delivery viathe Internet may occur by downloading or streaming a recordable event toa device that records the recordable event. As still yet anotherexample, the set of recordable events data 200 may include data for morethan one type of recordable events, such as television shows and radioshows. Other examples of types of recordable events are also possible.

A set of recordable events data includes one or more sets of recordableevents. A set of recordable events are all recordable events containedin the set of recordable events data and which have the same show title(or some other identifier for classifying recordable events as a set ofrecordable events). The set of recordable events data 200 is shown tohave two sets of recordable events, namely, a first set of recordableevents 202, and a second set of recordable events 204. Alternatively,the set of recordable events data 200 may include more or fewer sets ofrecordable events than two sets of recordable events.

The first set of recordable events 202 includes all episodes of thetelevision show entitled Friends that (i) are identified in the set ofrecordable events data 200, and (ii) are recordable events during thegiven period of time for the set of recordable events data 200. Thesecond set of recordable events 204 includes all episodes of thetelevision show entitled Sponge Bob Square Pants that (i) are identifiedin the set of recordable events data 200, and (ii) are recordable eventsduring the given period of time for the set of recordable events data200.

A given set of recordable events, such as the first set of recordableevents 202, may be analyzed so as to identify a relationship between oneor more episodes of the given set of recordable events. The one or moreepisodes linked by a relationship are a series of recordable events. Aseries of recordable events is a subset of a set of recordable eventsand may include all recordable events of the set of recordable events.

The relationship that links one or more episodes of recordable eventswithin a set of recordable events may have one or more relationshipdescriptors. Examples of relationship descriptors include achannel/frequency number, a time-slot, and a day(s)-of-the-weekschedule. Other examples of relationship descriptors are also possible.

By way of example, the first set of recordable events 202 includes threesubsets of recordable events for the television show Friends, namely,(i) a first subset 206 that is recordable every Monday from 7:30 pm to8:00 pm on channel 2, (ii) a second subset 208 that is recordable everyFriday from 1:00 am to 1:30 am on channel 4, and (iii) a third subset210 that is recordable every Wednesday from 8:30 pm to 9:00 pm onchannel 4.

By way of another example, the second set of recordable events 204includes two subsets of recordable events for the television show SpongeBob Square Pants, namely, (i) a fourth subset 212 that is recordableevery weekday from 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm on channel 5, and (ii) a fifthsubset 214 that is recordable every Saturday from 7:00 am to 7:30 am onchannel 5.

The first subset 206, the second subset 208, the third subset 210, thefourth subset 212 and the fifth subset 214 are each a respective seriesof programmable events, and may include more than a single recordableevent. For example, if the recordable events data 200 includes data for14 days, then based on the first subset 206, 2 episodes of thetelevision show Friends are available for recording on Mondays from7:30-8:00 pm on channel 2, during the 14 day period. Other examples ofthe subsets within the first set of recordable events 202 or the secondset of recordable events 204 are also possible.

After analyzing the set of recordable events data 200 to determine eachset of recordable events data 202, 204 and each subset of recordableevents data 206, 208, 210, 212, 214, identifiers for each set ofrecordable events and identifiers for each subset of recordable eventsmay be produced for display on a graphical user interface (GUI) so as toindicate the series of recordable events that may be scheduled forrecordation.

Scheduling to record a series of recordable events may includescheduling to record recordable events beyond the given period of timecovered by the recordable events data 200. Thus, for example, althoughthe given time period of the recordable events data 200 may be 14 days,scheduling to record the first subset 206 may result in recording 4episodes of Friends over a 4 week period, 5 episodes of Friends over a 5week period, etc. In this regard, a series of recordable events may beconsidered to include more recordable events than just those recordableevents described within the recordable events data 200.

2. Exemplary Architecture

The block diagram of FIG. 3 depicts a system for use in displayingidentifiers for one or more series of recordable events. As shown inFIG. 3, the system 300 includes (i) a processor 302, (ii) acommunication interface 304, (iii) data storage 306, and (iv) a userinterface 308, all linked together via a system bus, network, or otherconnection mechanism 310.

The processor 302 may include one or more processors, such as a generalpurpose processor and/or a digital signal processor. The processor 302executes program instructions that are stored at the data storage 306,and responsively functions to interact with the communication interface304 and the user interface 308, to facilitate performance of thefunctions described herein.

The communication interface 304 facilitates the transmission of datafrom the system 300 as well as the reception of data into the system300. Examples of data that the communication interface 304 may receiveinclude a set of recordable events data, and recordable events, such astelevision shows or radio shows. Recordable events may be receivedaccording to a schedule identified in the set of recordable events dataor at a requested time, such as an on-demand pay-per-view movie that canstart at a time specified by the user. Examples of data that thecommunication interface 304 may transmit include a request to update aset of recordable events data, and a request to receive a recordableevent. Other examples of data that the communication interface 304 mayreceive or data that the communication interface 304 may transmit arealso possible.

The communication interface 304 may be arranged in variousconfigurations to transmit and/or receive data. For example, thecommunication interface 304 may be arranged as a wireless interface thatreceives data encoded within radio-frequency signals broadcast by aterrestrial antenna and/or a satellite circumnavigating the Earth. Asanother example, the communication interface 304 may be arranged as awired interface that receives data encoded within signals transmittedvia a traditional copper telephone land-line, or a coaxial cable, suchas a cable for routing cable television signals, or a data networkcable, such as a category 5 cable or an optical cable. The communicationinterface 304 may interface to a private network, such as a local areanetwork, or a public-access network, such as the Internet. Otherexamples of the arrangements for the communication interface 304 arealso possible.

The communication interface 304 may include means for converting areceived recordable event into a format that may be stored in datastorage 306. Alternatively, the system 300 may include other means forconverting a received recordable event into a format for storage in datastorage 306. In this regard, the means may perform signal conditioning,signal conversion (such as conversion from an analog signal to a digitalsignal), and/or signal filtering, so as to convert a recordable eventinto a format that may be stored in the data storage 306.

The data storage 306 may include a computer readable and writeablemedium, such as a magnetic disc, an optical disc, organic memory, and/orany other volatile and/or non-volatile mass storage system readable andwritable by the processor 302. Alternatively, the data storage 306includes a combination of one or more segments of computer readable andwritable media. In this regard, for example, data storage 306 mayinclude a first segment of computer readable and writable media locatedin the processor 302 and a second segment of computer readable andwritable media remote from the processor 302. As an example, the secondsegment of computer readable and writable media may be arranged as (i) aportable hard-drive data storage unit, or (ii) an integral hard-drivestorage unit, or (iii) a magnetic tape, such as a VHS-format video tape.Other examples of data storage 306 or segments of the data storage 306are also possible.

The data storage 306 may store various types of data. For example, thedata storage 306 may store program instructions executable by theprocessor 302 in non-volatile data storage. In particular, the programinstructions may include instructions that are executable to analyze aset of recordable events data (e.g. all television shows to be broadcastby a local cable television supplier) for determining one or more setsof recordable events (e.g. first set of recordable events 202, and thesecond set of recordable events 204).

Further, in particular, the program instructions may includeinstructions that are executable to analyze each set of recordableevents for determining a respective relationship among one or moresubsets of recordable events of each set of recordable events. In thisregard, the respective relationship may be defined by one or morerelationship descriptors that are included in the set of recordableevents data.

Further still, the program instructions may include instructions thatare executable to determine a plurality of sub-relationships forsplitting a given series into one or more sub-series of recordableevents. By way of example, a relationship descriptor for a series mayindicate that a television show is to be shown on channel 2 at 8:00 pmto 9:00 pm every Tuesday and Wednesday. In this regard, the programinstructions may be executed to determine a first sub-relationship forthe shows to be shown on channel 2 at 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm every Tuesday,and a second sub-relationship for the shows to be shown on channel 2 at8:00 pm to 9:00 pm every Wednesday. After splitting the series, a firstindicator of a first sub-series for television shows having the firstsub-relationship and a second indicator of a second sub-series fortelevision shows having the second sub-relationship may be produced andstored in data storage 306. Thereafter, a GUI may display the firstindicator of the first sub-series and the second indicator of the secondsub-series to inform a user of each sub-series that may be scheduled forrecordation.

As another example, the data storage 306 may store a recordable event, aset of recordable events data, a set of recordable events, and a subsetof recordable events in non-volatile data storage and/or volatile datastorage. The data storage 306 may store identifiers for use indisplaying on a GUI display or other type of display. Further, the datastorage 306 may store a schedule of the recordable events that are to berecorded based on the recordable events selected by a user. Otherexamples of the types of data that may be stored in the data storage 306are also possible.

The user interface 308 provides means for a user to communicate datainto the system. As an example, the means for a user to communicate datainto the system may include (i) a wireless remote control receiver forreceiving wireless communication from a remote control, and/or (ii) akeypad or touch-screen for receiving data input by a user pressing keyscorrelated with certain data and or functions, and/or (iii) a speechrecognition system for receiving data and or commands spoken by a user.Other examples of the means for a user communicating data into thesystem are also possible.

Various types of data (and/or commands) may be communicated into thesystem 300 by a user. As an example, communicating data may includecommunicating a selection of a recordable event to be recorded. Asanother example, communicating data may include communicating a requestthat a recordable event be transmitted to the system at a given time(e.g. a pay-per-view movie). Other examples of the types of data thatmay be communicated into the system 300 are also possible.

The user interface 308 also provides means for communicating data to auser of the system 300. In this regard, the data communicated to theuser may be data that is (i) visual on a display, such as a touchscreen, a liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube, or a plasmascreen, or (ii) audible via a speaker. Other examples of the userinterface 308 providing means for communicating data to the user of thesystem 300 are also possible.

Various types of data may be communicated to a user from the system 300.For example, the user interface 308 may display identifiers thatindicate a series of recordable events that are to be broadcast atcertain times over a given period of time and that may be scheduled forrecordation. As another example, the user interface 308 may include aGUI that displays a variety of images that indicate functions that maybe performed in response to selecting a function indicator via the GUI.FIGS. 4-10 depict examples of a GUI arranged according to the exemplaryembodiment for communicating data from the system 300 to a user of thesystem 300, as well as to provide means for communicating data into thesystem 300.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a GUI main menu 400. The main menu 400allows a user to enter sub-menus for menu items listed in the main menu400. Examples of menu items that may be listed in a main menu include“Recorded Shows”, “Show Search”, “Future Recordings”, “Live TV”, “Music”and “Settings”, as shown in FIG. 4. Other examples of menu items thatmay be listed in a main menu include “Live Radio”, and “InternetTransmissions.” Other examples of menu items listed in a main menu arealso possible.

Selecting a main menu item to access sub-menus may occur in a variety ofways. As an example, a highlighted bar 402 may be used to select a menuitem in the main menu, and in turn, to indicate that sub-menus areavailable and how to access the sub-menus. Accessing the sub-menu mayrequire the user to press a keypad key, such as an “up key”, a “downkey”, a “left key”, or a “right key”, or to take some other action.Further, the highlighted bar 402 could be relocated to highlight anotherof the menu items shown on the GUI main menu 400. For example, thehighlighted bar 402 could be relocated to highlight the “FutureRecordings” menu item so as to provide access to the sub-menu itemsassociated with the “Future Recordings” menu item.

FIG. 5 show a sub-menu of the main menu shown in FIG. 4. In particular,FIG. 5 shows a sub-menu that indicates methods for performing a showsearch for shows that are to be recorded. In this regard, the showsearch may involve performing a search by the title of a show or movie,or by the name of an actor or director of the show, or by some more waysto search that are disclosed by changing to a sub-menu of the sub-menuitem “More Ways to Search” shown in FIG. 5.

The sub-menu of FIG. 5 also includes an additional sub-menu itemdescribed as “VCR-Style recording.” This additional sub-menu item isoffset from the top three sub-menu items by a large blank space. Byusing a large blank space, placing certain menu items at the bottom of amenu, and by designing entry into the sub-menu to occur at the top ofthe sub-menu, a designer of a sub-menu (or menu) can steer whichsub-menu items are more likely to be used by a user.

By selecting the “Search for show or movie,” search function shown inthe sub-menu of FIG. 5, the sub-menu shown in FIG. 6 appears on the GUI.As shown in FIG. 6, a graphical keypad allows for the entry of lettersof a show title. Prior to entering any letters of a show title, allshows that are identified by a set of recordable events data areavailable for display on the right-hand side of the GUI. After a firstletter is entered, for example, the letter “F”, only the titles of showsthat are identified by the set of recordable events data and that startwith the letter “F” are available for display on the GUI. After a secondletter is entered, for example, the letter “R”, only titles of showsthat are identified by the set of recordable events data and that havethe letters “FR” as their first and second letters are available fordisplay on the GUI. Other shows, in addition to the shows shown in FIG.6, may have “FR” as the first two letters of their title but are notshown because the exemplary GUI only allows for displaying 8 lines ofshow titles. If the letter “I” is entered after entering the letters“FR”, the letters “FRI” will be displayed on the graphical keypaddisplay. Since the show entitled Friends is the only show that matchesthe show title search criteria of “FRI”, the GUI may only show the showentitled Friends on the right-hand side of the GUI, or couldautomatically change to another sub-menu that displays all of the seriesof the show entitled Friends that may be recorded. FIG. 10 shows anexample of search results that include a list of series of the showentitled Friends.

FIG. 7 depicts a display of a GUI that facilitates the performance of ashow search for selecting a series of shows to be recorded. In FIG. 7,the left-hand side of the GUI lists seven major categories of recordableevents. A different number of major categories of recordable events mayalso be used. The different number of major categories may be based onthe size of the GUI and the size of the font used to display thedifferent number of major categories.

The right-hand side of the GUI shown in FIG. 7 is an area of the GUI fordisplaying respective sub-categories for each of the seven majorcategories when one of the seven major categories is selected. As shown,in FIG. 7, a first major category named “Useful Searches” is selectedand 8 sub-categories are displayed on the right-hand side of the GUI. Adifferent number of sub-categories for the first major category may alsobe used. The other six major categories may have a number ofsubcategories that is more than, less than, or equal to 8sub-categories.

In FIG. 8, a first sub-category named “TV-Primetime Shows” of the firstmajor category named Useful Searches, is selected. In this regard, thefirst sub-category is highlighted as compared to the remaining 7sub-categories displayed on the right hand side of the GUI. The firstsub-category (when highlighted) includes an arrow that indicates thatmore information (or more options) pertaining to the first sub-categoryis available.

In FIG. 9, a display of a GUI shows the results of selecting the firstsub-category (TV-Primetime shows) of the first major category (UsefulSearches). In this regard, the GUI displays a “Surprise Me!” option, anda list of primetime shows in alphabetical order, where show titlesstarting with numbers (e.g. 20/20, 48 Hours Mystery, and 60 Minutes) areat the beginning of the list, followed by show titles starting withletters. Other primetime shows may be displayed on the GUI by (i)entering letters of a show title, (ii) using a scroll up feature, (iii)using a scroll down feature, (iv) using a page up feature, or (v) usinga page down feature. Other examples for how to display other primetimeshows on the GUI are also possible.

The Surprise Me feature provides a means for a user of the system 300 toschedule shows to be recorded based on a predetermined search criteriaand a set of rules based on the predetermined search criteria. TheSurprise Me feature allows for recording of shows based on thepredetermined search criteria and the set of rules so long as no othershows are scheduled to be recorded. The Surprise Me feature may includea time limit, such as 4 hours, so that only 4 hours of shows based onthe predetermined search criteria and the set of rules are recorded.

In FIG. 10, a list of series for the show entitled Friends is displayedas a result of a show search for the television show Friends. The listof series identifies four different series for the show entitledFriends. An identifier of a first series is the identifier thatindicates the television show Friends is to be broadcast on Weekdays,from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm on KTVU Channel 2. An identifier of a secondseries is the identifier that indicates the television show Friends isto be broadcast on Weekdays, from 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm on KTVU Channel 2.An identifier of a third series is the identifier that indicates thetelevision show Friends is to be broadcast on Sundays, from 6:00 pm to6:30 pm on KTVU Channel 2. An identifier of a fourth series is theidentifier that indicates the television show Friends is to be broadcaston Weekdays, from 10:00 pm to 10:30 pm on KICU Channel 36. Any of theidentifiers for the first series, second series, third series, andfourth series, may be selected via the GUI so as to schedule theselected series for recordation.

In FIG. 11, the GUI displays a more detailed list of a first series forthe show entitled Friends that is broadcast weekdays from 6:30 pm to7:00 pm on KTVC Channel 2. The GUI also provides an option to schedulethe recordation of all episodes in the first series. In FIG. 11, the GUIdisplays a synopsis for each episode in the first series. A user may usethe displayed synopsis in making a determination whether to record all,some, or none of the episodes of the first series. The user may use thedisplayed synopsis for other reasons as well.

The system 300 may be arranged in other configurations as well. Forexample, the system 300 may be arranged as described in the co-pendingU.S. patent application entitled Method and System for Reconfiguring aSelection System Based on Layers of Categories Descriptive of RecordableEvents, which (i) is filed concurrently herewith, (ii) has attorneyreference number 04-1097, and (iii) is hereby incorporated by reference.

3. Exemplary Operation

According to the exemplary embodiment, the system 300 receives a set ofrecordable events data for use in determining one or more sets ofrecordable events, and in turn, for use in determining a respectiverelationship among one or more subsets of recordable events. Afterdetermination of the one or more subsets of recordable events, anidentifier for each of the one or more subsets of recordable events fora given set of recordable events may be displayed on a GUI. The GUIprovides a means for selecting a subset of recordable events so as toschedule a recording means to record the recordable events that make upthe subset of recordable events. The recording means may be a digitalvideo recorder.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart provided to illustrate some of these functions.As shown in FIG. 12, at block 1000, a set of recordable events data isreceived. As an example, the communication interface 304 shown in FIG. 3is arranged to receive a set of recordable events data. Other examplesof a device or system that is arranged to receive a set of recordableevents data are also possible.

Receiving the set of recordable events data may be carried out using anyof a variety of methods. For example, receiving the set of recordableevents data may occur via a wireless or wired communication interface.As another example, receiving the set of recordable events data may bein response to a request for the set of recordable events data, orperformed automatically at a designated time. In this regard, receivingthe set of recordable events data may occur at a time, such as 1:00 AMEastern Standard Time, when there is a lesser amount of communicationsoccurring via a network that interfaces with the communicationinterface. Other examples of methods available for receiving the set ofrecordable events are also possible. After receiving the set ofrecordable events data, the set of recordable events data may be storedin data storage of the system/device that receives the set of recordableevents data.

At block 1002, a set of recordable events data is analyzed fordetermining one or more sets of recordable events. A processor mayexecute program instructions to carry out this analysis. The programinstructions may determine the one or more sets of recordable eventsbased on a title of a recordable event. For example, determining a setof recordable events for all shows entitled Friends. As another example,the one or more sets of recordable events could also be determined bysearching some other criteria, such as by an actor's name, or adirector's name. Other examples of criteria used to determine one orsets of recordable events are also possible.

At block 1004, each set of recordable events is analyzed for determininga respective relationship among one or more subsets of recordable eventsof each set of recordable events. A processor may execute programinstructions to carry out this analysis.

Determining the respective relationship may occur in various ways. Forexample, a set of recordable events may be analyzed to determine a firstrelationship descriptor, such as channel number, for each recordableevent. In this regard, a series for each channel number that willbroadcast one of the recordable events is created.

In turn, each of these series may be analyzed to determine a secondrelationship descriptor, such as a time-slot, for each recordable event.In this regard, a series for each channel number and each time-slot whenone of the recordable events will be broadcast is created.

The analysis may continue for additional relationship descriptors, suchas a day(s)-of-the-week relationship descriptor, to create even moreseries based on the first two relationship descriptors and anyadditional relationship descriptors. Other examples of analyzing a setof recordable events to determine a respective relationship are alsopossible.

Ideally, the determination of the respective relationships among one ormore subsets of recordable events of each set of recordable events willoccur prior to selection of a set of recordable events. In this way, theuser will experience minimal delay from the time the set of recordableevents is selected till the time the identifier for a series ofrecordable events is displayed on a GUI. Alternatively, thedetermination of the respective relationships among one or more subsetsof recordable events of each set of recordable events could occur at thetime the set of recordable events is selected, as to reduce the sizerequirements for data storage.

At block 1006, a respective identifier for each of the one or moresubsets of recordable events for a given set of recordable events isdisplayed. Each of the respective identifiers may be displayed after aset of recordable events that includes the one or more subsets ofrecordable events is selected from a GUI. As shown in FIG. 10, theidentifiers may include the call letters for a network (e.g. KTVU), achannel number (e.g. channel 2), a time-slot, and a day(s)-of-the-weekdescriptor. Other examples of identifiers for indicating one or morerelationship descriptors of a series of recordable events are alsopossible.

At block 1008, selection of a given subset (series) of recordable eventsto be recorded is made by selecting the respective identifier for thegiven subset of recordable events. Making the selection may involveusing a keypad (or other means) to move a highlighted bar to theposition of the respective identifier, and in turn using another key ofthe keypad to make a selection that the given subset of recordableevents is to be recorded. The GUI that displays a respective identifierfor multiple series of recordable events may also allow for selectingmore than one, including all, of the series of recordable events by useof a keypad to (i) highlight and select more than one identifier, or(ii) select all identifiers with the press of a single key. Otherexamples for selecting a given series of recordable events to berecorded are also possible.

4. CONCLUSION

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been describedabove. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that changesand modifications may be made to the embodiment described withoutdeparting from the true scope and spirit of the present invention, whichis defined by the claims.

1. A method for displaying identifiers for one or more series ofrecordable events, the method comprising: analyzing a set of recordableevents data for determining one or more sets of recordable events;analyzing each set of recordable events for determining a respectiverelationship among one or more subsets of recordable events of each setof recordable events; and displaying a respective identifier for each ofthe one or more subsets of recordable events for a given set ofrecordable events when the given set of recordable events is selectedfor display.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving theset of recordable events data at a communication interface and storingthe set of recordable events data in data storage.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein each of the one or more subsets of recordable eventsdefines a respective series of recordable events.
 4. The method of claim3, wherein selecting to record a series involves selecting an identifierfor the series via a graphical user interface.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein determining a first relationship among a first subset ofrecordable events of a first set of recordable events involvesdetermining a first common time-slot, a first common channel/frequencynumber, and a first common day(s)-of-the-week schedule, among therecordable events of the first set of recordable events.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein determining the respective relationship among theremaining subsets of recordable events of the first set of recordableevents involves determining a respective common time-slot, a respectivecommon channel/frequency number, and a respective commonday(s)-of-the-week schedule, for each of the remaining subsets ofrecordable events of the first set of recordable events.
 7. The methodof claim 6, wherein (i) each of the remaining subsets of recordableevents of the first set of recordable events define a respective seriesof recordable events, and (ii) selecting a series of recordable eventsof the first set of recordable events to be recorded involves selectingan identifier for the series to be recorded, via a graphical userinterface that displays the respective identifiers for the first set ofrecordable events.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprisinganalyzing a first relationship among a first subset of recordable eventsto determine a plurality of sub-relationships and splitting the firstsubset of recordable events into a plurality of series, wherein theplurality of series includes a respective series for each of theplurality of sub-relationships.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein eachof the plurality of sub-relationships represent a respective day of theweek.
 10. A method for displaying identifiers for one or more series ofrecordable events, the method comprising: analyzing a set of recordableevents data for determining one or more sets of recordable events;analyzing each set of recordable events for determining (i) a firstrelationship among a first subset of each set of recordable events, and(ii) a second relationship among a second subset of each set ofrecordable events; and displaying at least (i) a first identifier for afirst subset of a first set of recordable events, and (ii) a secondidentifier for a second subset of the first set of recordable events,via a graphical user interface for a recordable events recorder inresponse to a user selecting the first set of recordable events via thegraphical interface, wherein the first subset defines a first series ofrecordable events, and the second subset defines a second series ofrecordable events.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the recordableevents recorder is a digital video recorder.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein the first relationship and the second relationship each involvea respective time-slots, a respective day(s)-of-the-week schedule, and arespective channel number/frequency.
 13. The method of claim 10, whereineach of the one or more sets of recordable events represent all episodesof a respective television show for which data is included in the set ofrecordable events data.
 14. A system for displaying identifiers for oneor more series of recordable events, the system comprising: acommunication interface for receiving a set of recordable events data; aprocessor communicatively coupled to the communication interface, theprocessor for executing a set of program instructions; data storagecommunicatively coupled to the processor, the data storage for storingthe set of recordable events data and the program instructions, whereinthe program instructions include instructions for (i) analyzing the setof recordable events data for determining one or more sets of recordableevents, (ii) analyzing each set of recordable events for determining arespective relationship among one or more subsets of recordable eventsof each set of recordable events; and a user interface for displaying arespective identifier for each of the one or more subsets of recordableevents for a given set of recordable events when the given set ofrecordable events is selected for display.
 15. The system of claim 14,wherein the user interface includes means for receiving a user selectionsignal that indicates which of the one or more subsets of recordableevents is to be recorded.
 16. The system of claim 15, further comprisingmeans to record which of the one or more subsets of recordable events isto be recorded, wherein the recordable events are recorded in the datastorage.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for receiving auser selection signal is selected from the group consisting of awireless remote control receiver, a keypad, a touch screen, and a speechrecognition system.
 18. The system of claim 14, wherein the set ofrecordable events data includes a list of recordable events, eachrecordable event being correlated with (i) a channel number/frequencynumber, (ii) a day(s) of the week schedule, and (iii) a time-slot. 19.The system of claim 14, wherein the communication interface comprises aninterface selected from the group consisting of (i) a cable televisioninterface, (ii) a radio frequency interface, (iii) a land-line telephonesystem telephone line, and (iv) an Internet connection.
 20. The systemof claim 14, wherein the recordable events are selected from the groupconsisting of (i) television shows, (ii) radio programs, and (iii)Internet transmissions.